Stray Stars: The Grand Scheme

The inner monologue of a homicidal gank bounty hunter.

This is great. I thought this whole freelance gig was going to be for the dogs. Sure things were great working for Madam Looha. I mean three meals a day, all the cybernetics I wanted, any gun that caught my eye was mine. It was fun hunting down unpaid debts for a bit but after awhile it became the same karking thing. But this, this is what makes me feel alive. I wish at times I had someone else along for the ride who could appreciate some action. Sometimes I think the others don't enjoy the excitement like I do. Who doesn't enjoy a good thermal detonator stand-off? I sure as shit do! Although I did almost lose control of that hyenax alpha, luckily Kazahk radioed me. Having him around reminds me of home a little, the alpha that is. Kazahk's alright to I guess, I think he would have made a better bounty hunter though. He has that cunning working for him kind of like Kel. Enough about that though.

Not only did we show up those mandalorian commandos and track down where their precious mandalore went. We also have been eaten by some sort of monsterous sand worm! I cant wait to see the look on those weak commando faces when I punch my way out of the stomach of this thing and we have their mandalore with us! I will admit it would be easier if I had the hammer with me and It wasn't so dark in here and their mandalore may be dead but beggars cant be choosers or some karking shit like that. Maybe next week Ill be able to cross off that escape pod boarding scenario after all!

I'm beginning to wonder if the Forssse is playing tricksss on me, or if it hass itss own agenda…

We made it to the planet Vaal as per the dying requesst of Peeri, a Forssse user from the Sstar Den. It iss still frustrating me that I did not manage to speak with him once before he died, but oh well.

We found hiss apprentisse (a growing pasttime of ourss), and I can undersstand why he was left on thiss world: the boy wass nowhere near what we were promissssed. But then we found our true objective…

We were scanned by an Imperial post on the planet when we flew in, and so we decided to, ah… "clean the sslate." Dilo, Kel, and I decided to scout the area quietly first and leave the walking catastrophe behind for the moment (oh, and Scalper too). We found the outpost eerily silent; but when we entered the main structure, we discovered why. A Nautlian warrior named Alpheios was… entertaining himsself by terrorizing and eventually wiping out the compound. He then propped everyone in their suits and made them appear to stand watch. It was a strange and disturbing sight, but as interesting as the man.

Thisss… Alpheios… is an interesting character. His mentality is similar to Scalper's, but he was a member of some "Silver Assembly," a group of Force userss from acrossss the sspectrum. I would've pegged him for a Sith, but I won't be picky with details. I'm trying to discover what I would call myself in the Grand Scheme of thingss anyway…

Alpheios was in hiding on this world, protecting a holocron from some powerful Force user named Vasaar. Apparently he betrayed his silvery fellows and picked them off one by one. What is truly fascinating about thiss Vasaar, however, is that he somehow absorbed their powers when he killed them. How does he do it? I may be too curiouss for my own good, but thiss may be a key to undersstanding the Force as a whole. Not all of the pieces of the puzzle are revealed, but I sensse we are far from done with this businesssss…

[long pause]

But enough mulling for now. We are stopping back at the Star Den, and then making way to Mandalore. Kel was adamant, and I am interested in going as well. Something isss there, something… useful… to our cause. Nevertheless, we need to continue to grow in strength and resources. And I will continue to weave the web…

<Static> Useless piece of shit! <thud followed by audio feedback> much better, is this thing on? Mmmm sounds like it. I found this data recorder on one of the bodies we spaced back at the Den. If anyone gives a karking shit listen up. People call me Scalper, lets just say I got the name from a hobby of mine. Just a brief rundown of whats happened recently. Lets talk about this shit storm of a mess this astromech droid has got us in. This stoopa rolling trashcan has managed to piss off both the imps and rebs and took the rest of us along for the ride. If I wasn't so mad myself about losing so many contacts I'd be excited for this new challenge. I will say it makes things simple for me now, I like simple. Dead rebs and dead imps, either way I love killin.

So we've left the Den to check out this planet. Peeri sent me to look for some boy, he's dead by the way Peeri is. Anyways the planet for the most part seems quiet. Except for where we landed. I guess the engines riled up a den of hyenax, nasty as sithspit they are. Not sure how the others felt about it but I was ready for a good fight. They tore some of the others up pretty bad too <chuckle> I like em, the hyenax. After a bit the Alpha stepped out looking for a tussle. I obliged em by hurling an armor piercing grenade at his grundle <more chuckling> seemed to get his attention. We smacked each other around a little and got into a screaming match. Lets just say these hyenax have a new pack leader now. Oh ya and we found the boy, he's some sort of devaronian hermit. Not really to sure how useful he is going to be. Times running short kids so I'll leave you with some advice, stay away from the Star Den if you know what's good for you. If you are soft in the head though ill be waiting.

R3 astromech series AB10, along with Annlily and Dilo, investigated the whereabouts of Rootah in the palace in Toydaria. The appearance of subject was entirely unknown and a scan of the palace guest list revealed no one under that alias. The unit attempted to explore the palace to find any data caches to locate or identify any information related to the subject’s whereabouts.

The group was being watched closely by the palace guard, and the curious actions of the females were to enter a waste disposal chamber and deposit waste to lose suspicion. R3-AB10 followed the females, and the group contacted Ama who reported to be in undocumented tunnels under the city. Upon exiting the waste disposal chamber, palace guards incapacitated the group and stored them in captivity under the palace. Annlily, Dilo, and R3-AB10 resumed consciousness and terminated three Toydarian prison guards. An incapacitated Imperial official (apparent Moff) was restrained with us, and after Annlily provided medical aid to the female human, she requested to be brought home in exchange for rewards.

R3-AB10 attempted to weld through .71 meters of solid rock in what appeared to be seams in the dungeon walls. A more efficient exit was found when Kazahk and Ama opened a passage at one of the seams from the outside and informed us that Bones may have departed with the ship without the unit and that Rootah was on the ship.
Immediately, the group departed the tunnels which led to the dungeon and quickly boarded a Lambda-class T4A shuttle belonging to Rootah to depart Toydaria and identify next steps.

After recovery of Rootah, son of Lady Looha

We are about to depart to help Ama not die in a most humiliating way; it would be unfortunate to losses ssuch an assset as another Force user.

We arrived on Toydaria earlier today to do a job for Lady Looha, a powerful Hutt in the Cartel. Apparently, our dear leader Bonesss had a debt that needed paid. And ssso here we are on Toydaria to hunt Looha’s son, named Rootah.

While two of usss took the droid and went to the palasse to invesstigate there, Ama accompanied uss to search the ssity. Becausse if one wishess to remain hidden, why would one go to the palasse? However, though Ama wass quite helpful in getting a Twi’lek sslave girl to tell uss of a ssecret tunnel in a nearby well, she iss proving quite difficult to work with… Lossing ssome expenssive clothing meanss nothing, but lossing the ability to regroup with the otherss after acquiring Rootah ssomewhat sstymied our plansss…

No matter, the tassk wass done. After happening upon the Dug in the residential disstrict, we ssplit up, and we ourself tracked him to a gambling den. And, well, even the mosst guarded of men can be perssuaded with a bit of friendly dissscussion and alcohol.

Now he iss ssafely onboard the ssship… but no one elssse hass returned. Ama hass reported that she iss planning to get hersself killed, and we are at an impasssse. We are no fighter, but we would be in a far worsse position if we abandon her. Alsso, she may have found ssomething regarding our other missssing compatriotss…

We are learning very quickly that free ridess are very rarely free. It iss too ssoon for us to meet our end here.

Shortly after the destruction of Cotelier

Audio Log #1 – Kazahk Dorn

Date, uhh… minutessss after the death of our homeworld?

We’re not exsactly accusstomed to writing journal entriesss. Lack of an ability to do ssso iss an obviousss factor, coupled with a lack of care to do sso. Thiss ssituation iss, however, markedly different.

We finally found a way off this masssive ssand ball, though we had to do a little bit of finagling to purchassse ssafe passssage. The Imperial we met, a female blue-sskinned offisser—Chissss we believe her rasse is called—offered a trade to me: passssage offworld in exchange for a hyperdrive one of my… devoteesss… had procured. A sstrange group, but one we won’t likely deal with again. The Imperial, Bonesss, ssuggessted we accompany her on her missionsss, an entissing offer for ourself, as we are ssearching for more ruinsss in order to disscover what thisss… “Force”… iss about.

However, we had to return to Kettletown to get to the sship… we thought we’d be done with that plasse… And, of courssse, complicationss arose. Apparently, the Imperialss disscovered that a Rebel inssurgent group had plans to threaten the sssity. I desssided the easiesst ssolution would be to aid in the invesstigation and ssspeed my departure.

Meren was a good man. I would occasionally go to hisss bar when I would come back for ssupliess. He would alwaysss make ssure I wass cared for and ssupplied. What happened to hiss brother wasss a tragedy. I knew he wass hurting, but I did not expect hiss ssorrow to drive him to what he did…

Target destination was ultimately achieved after an uncalculated error. An unidentified Imperial TIE/LN starfighter disabled BTL-A4 unit 1204 via laser cannon. Upon impact, thrusters were offline, sending us to target planet's desert surface. Upon attempts to disembark, it was discovered the ship's concussion on the planet's surface compromised the integrity of a buried structure, into which the ship descended. The sand-filled terrain collapsed above the ship, sealing pilot, ship, and assigned astromech within the structure.

BTL-A4 unit 1204 systems scan revealed it was disabled beyond feasible repair. Seemingly insentient arthropods attacked pilot Annlily Greenlan and R3 astromech droid AB10 unsuccessfully and were immediately exterminated. Upon examination, the building which was descended upon was primarily made of stone common to the area with portions appearing to have been altered by sentient lifeforms. Pillars and walls which held the structure were partially decorated with artwork with possible religious significance.

After the pilot pulled a sophisticated series of levers and switches, seven native, humanoid, sentient lifeforms were encountered. They appeared to be no threat and asserted they, too, were trapped within the structure. AB10 analyzed for possible ways to resurface while pilot Greenlan and the other lifeforms introduced themselves.

A sizable explosion from the surface which unsettled the blockade of sand that was trapping crew inside the structure. A TRAST A-A5 Heavy Speeder Truck was found to be source of the blast. The mission of the A-A5 crew was apparent to acquire Annlily Greenlan and R3-AB10 for a special ops Imperial mission, on which the two agreed to comply. The native lifeforms were also let aboard the A-A5 to assist in the mission. The crew consisted of a Nautolan named Laoch, a Chiss named Bones, a Tortuga named Alama, and a half droid with no name mentioned.

8/27/2016

Annlilly and her Droid Abe have crashed on the barren desert of an unfamiliar planet after being fired at by an alliance x-wing unprovoked. Normally Annlilly relishes in the opportunity to explore new places, but seeing the dire circumstance they have found themselves in excitement is on the back burner. With their ship broken and sinking in the scorching sand will they be able to salvage anything? Will they be able to find help before the harsh desert consumes them?

Kazahk was born and raised on the planet Cotellier. The hazards of the desert no mystery to him. He found great solace in the abandoned temple he discovered lost deep within the sand, that was until a few of the towns people began to worship him and the temple as a strange DarNova cult. Constant followers aside he basked in the strong connection to the force that the temple provided. He had gained much in the years of study he had put into temple, But he felt it was time to venture out and find more temples and the like. He was gathering his belongings and began to say good bye to the place and people he had gained much from, when a large explosion shifted the sand above the sacred place sealing him and his followers in. What could have possibly caused such a large reaction, Was someone testing Nova Crystals in the desert? How will Kazahk and his followers get out of the temple alive?

Alama was enjoying a moment of meditation after her recent escape from Imperial clutches. With the help of Diomhair, a sneaky Bothan with force power like herself, they manage to secure passage to the last known location of Alama’s childhood friend. Resting in the cargo hold Alama reflects on the events leading her here and tries to clear her mind. The ship makes very dramatic maneuvers and takes a detour landing. Some battle between Alliance and Imperial star fighters had caused them to land on the nearby planet. Possibly stuck on whatever planet they have been forced onto Alama and Diomhair make their way into town to plan their next move.